So the day after the awesome wedding, my high school friends and I had planned to go swimming with sharks. I know, I’m insane in the membrane, and when I asked Ray to come with us, he just laughed.
But we went, and I was a little scared, understandably. However, once we got on the boat, I had committed myself to the activity, so I just made up my mind to have fun.
And it was so much fun! The bumpy, speeding boat ride over choppy waters out to the cage 3 miles offshore was fun. Waiting for our turn in the cage was exciting, because we got to see an Iwa bird (a frigate bird) come by and snatch a fish right out of this girl’s mouth.
Now, the only thing that was partially scary was that when I was climbing down the ladder into the cage, a big swell hit the boat, and I lost my footing. I was hanging onto the side of the boat for dear life, sort of swinging out, half over the cage and half over open water.
Of course this all happened in a few seconds’ time, and the captain quickly grabbed me and pulled me to safety. I then continued down the ladder, refusing to let it bother me, and after the captain ascertained I was okay, the boat pulled away from the cage.
It took me a couple minutes to acclimate myself. The water was nice and warm, which was good. And as soon as I felt comfortable breathing in the snorkel, I just parked myself in one end of the cage and just watched.
And there was nothing scary about the sharks. I mean, I didn’t feel compelled to reach out and pet one (which they tell you not to do anyway, duh), but it was like the aquarium. Well, better than an aquarium, because we were much closer. But I didn’t feel scared, and that was great.
After we got back to shore, I called Ray, and he met up with us at a shrimp shack on the outskirts of Haleiwa, which only had two things on the menu: shrimp scampi (with extra garlic), and shrimp with hot sauce, complete with a sign that says, “Warning: very hot! No refunds!”
A couple of my friends ordered the shrimp with hot sauce despite the dire warnings, and nearly burned their lips off. I opted for the much safer scampi, and since Ray was ordering it too, I didn’t have to worry about the garlic too much.
After lunch, Ray and I headed back to the bungalows, while my UHS friends did some sight-seeing. One of my flower girls, my cousin Samantha, turned 3 the day after the wedding, and her parents (my cousin and his wife) threw her a party on the beach (basically with all the leftovers from the rehearsal BBQ).
The party was lots of fun, and it was great to see Samantha get along so well with my MoH’s daughter, Camille (my other flower girl). They’re about 6 months apart, and they were best friends by the time the weekend was over.
The next day (Monday) was my aunt R.’s 65th birthday (we picked quite a weekend, didn’t we?). So all the family on my mom’s side went to the swanky resort on the North Shore called Turtle Bay resort to have lunch. Lunch was good, but for the prices they charged, I wasn’t really impressed. In fact, both Ray and I agreed that although Turtle Bay seems to have all the luxury one could ever want, we would much rather be in the real earthy world of Haleiwa and the North Shore, with all its grit and personality. Everyone had a good time, however, and they took lots of pictures of my mom and all her sisters (except for one sister who couldn’t make it).
After that, everyone kind of went their own separate ways. A bunch of my high school friends stayed a few more nights in Waikiki before returning home. My dad went to the other islands to visit Peace Corps friends. So Ray and I were left in peace to enjoy the North Shore by ourselves for a super relaxing honeymoon.
Anyway, the rest of the trip was awesome, but pretty relaxing, so no stories to tell there. The next post will be about the NJ reception.